I suppose it is inevitable as it happens once every four years – the spectacle of the Christian-conservative right jumping for joy and shouting aloud, in a manner reminiscent of Steve Martin’s ‘new phone book’ scene in the movie The Jerk, “It’s here, it’s here, the new Republican Platform is here!”

Today I received the daily blog email of a Christian organization telling about the great Christian-conservative leaders who are touting this year’s platform as the “Best GOP Platform Yet.” After reviewing some of the key platform components, the article concludes by asking the question, “how can any biblical Christian vote for Barack Obama?”

Now most who are paying attention realize that rejecting Mitt Romney does not require that anyone vote for Barack Obama as there are plenty of alternatives out there. In most states there will be half a dozen or more Presidential candidates on the ballot representing enough political flavors to satisfy most any palate.

So my question is not “how can any biblical Christian vote for Barack Obama” as that is a red herring question founded on a flawed premise. My question is “why should anyone care what’s in the new Republican Platform seeing as they never follow it anyway?”

For all practical purposes, once the Republican convention is over, the platform is ‘dead and buried.’ I can’t remember the last time anyone so much as referred to the Republican platform once the convention was over, much less followed it.

The Republicans have had plenty of opportunities to act on their platform – from George Bush the First becoming President in 1988, to the Republican Revolution of 1994 when they took control of Congress, to George Bush the Second and a Republican Congress holding all the reins of power for six years, to the current Republican controlled house which holds the purse strings and has it in their power to end all deficit spending and cut off every unconstitutional program and agency. To be honest, I can’t remember one time when Republicans have implemented one element of their own platform – perhaps in a state legislature somewhere sometime long ago and far away, but not at the federal level.

Nevertheless, once every four years some of the oldest died in the wool Republican diehard conservatives announce what a wonderful platform the Republican Party has just adopted, why ‘it may be the best one yet.’ This proclamation is usually followed by Christians and conservatives everywhere jumping for joy and declaring victory over all the forces of evil, as though America has been saved and freedom restored. Then they immediately line up and vote for an establishment picked Presidential nominee who hasn’t read the platform, doesn’t care what’s in it and will never follow it.

And do you suppose it will be any different this year? Already these same Christians and conservatives who ask how any biblical Christian could vote for Obama are lining up in lockstep to vote for a nominee who constitutes little more than ‘Obama lite’ – a globalist, socialist, pro-homosexual, with no intentions of securing the borders, balancing the budget, abolishing the department of education, auditing the Federal Reserve or implementing any of the other tenets of traditional conservatism. A candidate with a “D-” rating on gun rights; a candidate who implemented the socialized medicine program that Obamacare is patterned after; a candidate who supports TARP (Wall Street bailouts); a candidate who will continue the subversion of our national sovereignty and our amalgamation into Republican George HW Bush’s ‘New World Order.’

The only real purpose that the Republican Party platform serves is that of a public relations tool designed to keep gullible Christians and conservatives pacified as the establishment throws them a bone every four years, then goes off and does whatever it wants knowing it will be able to enjoy the full support of the religious right so long as they are reminded from time to time that, “we let you have a conservative platform, we’re the good guys, we have an “R” after our name, so keep supporting us.”